Various types of jettisonable fuel tank arrangements have been proposed heretofore for aircraft as exemplified in the U.S. Pat. of Anderson et al, No. 2,764,374, dated Sept. 25, 1956. To my knowledge, however, such prior art types of jettisonable fuel tank arrangements have been so constructed and located with respect to the aircraft body or fuselage as to present objectionable masses or obstructions to smooth air flow producing undesirable "drag" effects on the aircraft during normal operation thereof.
It is therefore an object of this invention to provide an improved jettisonable fuel tank means cooperatively joined to the aircraft in such a manner as to overcome the objections of the known prior art by providing a generally aerodynamically smooth, streamlined outer surface to the aircraft.
Another object of the invention is to provide an improved valve means between the jettisonable fuel tank means and the fuselage of the aircraft for shutting off fuel flow from the fuel tank means in response to release of the tank means from the fuselage to which it is normally detachably secured.
Still another object of the invention is to provide a valve means of the type last described wherein such valve means serves normally to connect the jettisonable fuel tank means to a reserve fuel tank means carried by the aircraft, and wherein the valve means serves to normally maintain open fuel flow communication between the jettisonable fuel tank means and the engine of the aircraft while preventing fuel flow communication between the reserve fuel tank and the engine during normal operation of the aircraft, and further, wherein the valve means includes means responsive to the jettisoning of the jettisonable fuel tank means from the aircraft for establishing communication between the reserve fuel tank means and the engine to permit continued operation of the aircraft under the power of the engine after the jettisonable fuel tank means has been released from the aircraft.